1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a surgical instrument which is inserted into an organism to perform a procedure during a surgical operation.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, as minimally invasive procedures which do not require a large incision, endoscopic surgical operations have been carried out in a manner that various procedures are performed in a body cavity by incising an opening in a wall of a human body such as an abdominal wall and by further inserting an endoscope or a surgical instrument into the body cavity through the opening.
As surgical instruments used for such endoscopic surgical operations, there are rigid surgical instruments in which an insertion section to be inserted into a body cavity is formed of a rigid tube, as well as pliable surgical instruments in which the insertion section is formed of a pliable tube, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1. When performing a procedure at a deep part (such as a back side of an organ) in a body cavity, pliable surgical instruments are used in general because the posture of the insertion section can be adjusted vertically in accordance with that the insertion section moved along the organ in the body cavity or the operator's manipulation and the insertion section can therefore be inserted into the body cavity while changing bending of the insertion section.    Patent Document 1: Jpn. UM Appln. KOKOKU Publication No. 5-15914